Every time you do a DNA test, parts of your same genes are just
getting sequenced again and again. Helix wants to cut out
that physical step.

Instead of sending your spit 10 different places for 10 different
tests, you could just let companies access your genetic code.
That way, companies could just develop the apps that analyze your
DNA to give you the insights you're looking for (where does your
family come from, or do you have a mutation that predisposes you
to a certain cancer) without the cost of developing a lab.

When Helix got started last year, the team announced that
partners including Mayo Clinic, Duke University, Lab Corp, and
GoodStart Genetics would be building out tests for the Helix
platform.

Now, Invitae, a company that's been in the genetic testing space
for the last six years, wants to get in on the platform too.
It's developing health tests that will look at common
genetic risk factors, something its CEO says could be
useful for generally healthy individuals. (Its standard tests,
which Invitae runs on its own platform, are mainly targeted
at people at high risk for certain heart conditions, genetic
diseases, or cancers.)

"We're taking all of this very sophisticated technology that we
built for the mainstream, high-risk diagnostic market," Invitae's
CEO Randy Scott told Business Insider. "But[using the Helix
platform] ... a healthy individual can get a low-cost scan
where we can at least pick up the most common, actionable
mutations for cancer and cardiovascular disease and provide that
information to patients."

The tests will still have to go through your physician, and will
likely cost less than $200, Scott said.